Alberta passes distracted driving law

[Pizza]

I've always wondered how these tickets stand up in court.
Photo Radar and stoplight cameras can provide proof to a judge, but with these distracted driving fines, is it just a matter of the testimony of what the officer witnessed you doing?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Pizza

I've always wondered how these tickets stand up in court.
Photo Radar and stoplight cameras can provide proof to a judge, but with these distracted driving fines, is it just a matter of the testimony of what the officer witnessed you doing?

Does the CPS have dashboard cams?

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Pizza

I've always wondered how these tickets stand up in court.
Photo Radar and stoplight cameras can provide proof to a judge, but with these distracted driving fines, is it just a matter of the testimony of what the officer witnessed you doing?

And that's enough more often than not.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Are we allowed to vote for ourselves? Jesus, this new law is tough on me. Today I was talking to my buddy and saw a cop, so I threw the phone on the seat, but now that I wasn't talking, I wanted the music turned back up, so I started fiddling with the volume and went "Oh **** that's illegal, too" and pulled my hand away quickly.

Also, I grabbed lunch at BK and was driving back with it and thought, "man, I'd love a mozza stick right now". So I grabbed the box out and started happily munching away before going "FFS, right, I can't do that, either!!".

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get in an accident while looking around feverishly for cops everywhere I go, long before anything happens because of talking or eating.

Or you could just eat and play with your phone when you're not driving?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Pizza

I've always wondered how these tickets stand up in court.
Photo Radar and stoplight cameras can provide proof to a judge, but with these distracted driving fines, is it just a matter of the testimony of what the officer witnessed you doing?

Exactly like any other traffic citation you would get. When it is your word vs. that of a cop, you lose.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Pizza

I've always wondered how these tickets stand up in court.
Photo Radar and stoplight cameras can provide proof to a judge, but with these distracted driving fines, is it just a matter of the testimony of what the officer witnessed you doing?

They do. In fact, you as a citizen can lay your own complaint and you'll likely get a conviction if you're willing to go to court. I did this many years ago and got a conviction, but it wasn't challenged by the defendant.

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Are we allowed to vote for ourselves? Jesus, this new law is tough on me. Today I was talking to my buddy and saw a cop, so I threw the phone on the seat, but now that I wasn't talking, I wanted the music turned back up, so I started fiddling with the volume and went "Oh **** that's illegal, too" and pulled my hand away quickly.

Also, I grabbed lunch at BK and was driving back with it and thought, "man, I'd love a mozza stick right now". So I grabbed the box out and started happily munching away before going "FFS, right, I can't do that, either!!".

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get in an accident while looking around feverishly for cops everywhere I go, long before anything happens because of talking or eating.

Didn't you always look for cops prior to this law flameswin.....

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Are we allowed to vote for ourselves? Jesus, this new law is tough on me. Today I was talking to my buddy and saw a cop, so I threw the phone on the seat, but now that I wasn't talking, I wanted the music turned back up, so I started fiddling with the volume and went "Oh **** that's illegal, too" and pulled my hand away quickly.

Also, I grabbed lunch at BK and was driving back with it and thought, "man, I'd love a mozza stick right now". So I grabbed the box out and started happily munching away before going "FFS, right, I can't do that, either!!".

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get in an accident while looking around feverishly for cops everywhere I go, long before anything happens because of talking or eating.

ummm you are allowed to eat in your car. you can even touch yourself too.

[OilKiller]

Bertuzzied does those two at the same time.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

Bertuzzied does those two at the same time.

call me again. my phone is on vibrate.

[OilKiller]

Lol...

[troutman]

Is this illegal?

Yeah, we're runnin' a little bit hot tonight.
I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off of it.
Ah, you reach down, between my legs,
ease the seat back.
She's blinding, I'm flying,
Right behind the rear-view mirror now.
Got the feeling, power steering,
Pistons popping, ain't no stopping now!


Sincerely, David Lee

[Travis Munroe]

Driving downtown today I was stopped at a red trying to turn right. My phone was in its windshield mount with my bluetooth hooked up to the sunvisor. While waiting for the lunch traffic to cross I look at the business card I just got. Some lady stops in front of my car and spends a good 10 seconds shaking her head waving her finger at me.
This post could belong in the GMGT and as small and stupid as this is I couldn't believe a person of non law enforcement was trying to "teach me a lesson" by not letting me go right because of what she supposedly felt I was doing.
//End rant

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by jar_e

Didn't you always look for cops prior to this law flameswin.....

Don't be surprised if you get a call from me asking to get out of a ticket in the coming weeks.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

I couldn't believe a person of non law enforcement was trying to "teach me a lesson" by not letting me go right because of what she supposedly felt I was doing.
//End rant

Looking at a business card, but not technically reading it? Is that what you were doing?

[Travis Munroe]

I thought looking and reading were under the same category when i say "looking at a business card". But yes I was reading what info was on the card!

[ken0042]

I said that because reading is one of those things not allowed:

•Restricts drivers from:
◦reading printed materials in the vehicle


And that I also took some pleasure the other day from honking and shaking my finger at somebody on their phone while driving.

I'll be the first to admit- I have some bad habits behind the wheel; and this new law may help me break some. If people are pointing out other people- good.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I'll be the first to admit- I have some bad habits behind the wheel; and this new law may help me break some. If people are pointing out other people- good.

I have always (since the days of the annoying earplug with the mic on the cord) been strict with myself about making sure my calls were hands-free, so that part of the law doesn't really change anything that I do. And studies to the contrary be damned, being hands-free definitely makes me a safer driver. I enjoy driving a manual transmission, so the hands and attention required are simply too much to have a phone stuck to my ear.

What I am realizing, however, is that my habit of checking emails/texts at red lights was worse than I first thought. Now that it is "officially" taboo, I reach down for my phone at red lights way more frequently than I realized, and immediately feel that shameful, guilty feeling. I was never one to read my phone while moving, but the habit of looking at it whilst at a standstill is really becoming apparent.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I said that because reading is one of those things not allowed:

•Restricts drivers from:
◦reading printed materials in the vehicle


And that I also took some pleasure the other day from honking and shaking my finger at somebody on their phone while driving.

I'll be the first to admit- I have some bad habits behind the wheel; and this new law may help me break some. If people are pointing out other people- good.

So I guess no one can read any of the road signs or billboards without breaking the law? Like I said before, this law has gone way overboard.

I saw a lady today stop at a red light. She picked up her map and took a 20 sec look at it and put it down and waited for the light to turn green. I thought to myself, really, she could get a ticket for that? What a joke.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

So I guess no one can read any of the road signs or billboards without breaking the law? Like I said before, this law has gone way overboard.

lol.